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Distinguished Design

Oct 01st 2012

Set foot in almost any property at Canyons Resort, and you’ll find yourself struck by one of Rebecca Buchan’s well-orchestrated designs. From Talisker on Main to The Farm restaurant and global projects as far as Berlin, Buchan and her interior design, architecture and graphics firm, Denton House, exhibit an impressive resume of projects accompanied by a chic aesthetic.

Even as a high school student in SLC, Buchan knew she wanted to be an interior designer. “My mom worked for a large interior design firm,” Buchan says. “She got me an afterschool job as an assistant for one of the top designers, Walter Cowie. I learned so much from him and got the bug early.” After completing her degree at UCLA, Buchan worked in Southern California before returning to Salt Lake, where she founded Denton House in 1996.

At any given time, Buchan and her team of 15 designers and architects have their hands in as many as 20 projects, ranging from government and commercial work to resort and high-end residential design. For Buchan, that means gathering inspiration everywhere she goes. “I love to travel,” she says. “I am always seeing something, whether it’s a shape of something that inspires me in signage or branding, or colors, or modern architecture in the midst of ancient buildings.”

With the holidays just around the corner and the hustle of party planning at the threshold, Buchan offers design-savvy advice on how to set the perfect ambiance. “I like to start outside because I want an impact to be made upon arrival,” she says. Buchan sets that tone with flickering LED candles, glass hurricane lamps filled with ornaments, fresh fruit and garlands of balsam, and hundreds of glowing glass tea lights along the front walkway. The lights continue onto the stoop, where an oversized wreath or bow hangs on the front door. “First impressions are everything,” she says.

Once inside, wow guests with a console table with framed family holiday photos surrounded by ornaments, family heirlooms, scented candles and natural materials like evergreen and birch branches. Add to the drama by dimming lights or replacing fluorescents with regular bulbs 60 watts or lower. “Sprucing up your entryway for the holidays is just as important as styling your living and dining rooms,” she says. “Stay within a color scheme—and don’t forget the sparkle.”